Chapter 23: Thunder and Fire

The monster moved slowly, its body writhing.

The barbarian trapped within its coils had blood-filled limbs, bulging veins, and an agonized, twisted expression, but had already lost all signs of life.

“How boring.”

The raspy voice sounded again.

It coiled up, opening its massive maw, preparing to swallow its “meal” in one bite.

Seeing a living person swallowed whole, the crowd erupted in shock once more, yet they had no escape, and their minds were nearly numb.

“Rest in peace, Scar.”

“But a painful death suits the deeds you’ve done.”

Hart watched helplessly as his subordinate of over ten years died humiliated, gritting his teeth silently, praying he might escape this place.

He felt droplets on his head and instinctively wiped them off, but strangely, it didn’t seem like cold sweat, nor were they tears; it felt like warm sweat.

“But… why is it so hot in this cave?”

A slight confusion arose in his mind; he hadn’t noticed this earlier, overwhelmed by the fight to survive.

Now, regaining his senses, he realized the cave felt like a massive steamer, with waves of heat coming from above.

Hart instinctively looked up—

And his mouth dropped open in shock.

An enormous creature, over eight meters long, suddenly appeared atop the rock wall.

It was a dragon!

Even more shocking, terrifying white-yellow flames were brewing in its mouth, like a miniature sun, illuminating the entire cave as if it were daylight.

Both humans and the monster looked up in astonishment—

And were left utterly speechless.

“Got you.”

A strange voice echoed from above the cave.

Cassius released the accumulated flame breath in an instant, draining a significant portion of his energy.

“Maximized Flame Breath!”

A column of intense flames descended from above, with an inner core of blinding white and an outer flame of vivid orange.

“Boom!”

With a deafening roar, the coiled monster let out a painful shriek.

The scorching flames distorted the air, and it writhed within the blazing fire, trying to escape.

The tough scales it had prided itself on were instantly incinerated, turning into charred blackness.

“Despicable dragon!”

“You are a shameless ambusher!”

It struggled in the flames, roaring hoarsely.

The terrifying breath lasted several breaths’ time before the monster slithered into the darkness, and the flames gradually subsided.

“To withstand that hit directly, truly terrifying,” Cassius muttered, looking into the shadows of the cave.

“Twin Light Dance!”

Several beams of light shot from the red dragon’s claws, illuminating different parts of the cave.

The entire cave lit up, leaving the monster nowhere to hide.

For the first time, its full form was revealed.

The creature was an enormous, seventeen- to eighteen-meter-long hybrid of centipede and crocodile.

It had twelve pairs of legs densely packed on each side of its body, intimidating to behold.

But now, the monster was in a pitiful state, with large patches of scales burned off and huge areas of flesh seared black.

The red dragon fixed its gaze on the monster, a hint of excitement on its face at encountering a formidable enemy.

[Based on your power, you can observe the following information]

【Bluefoot Drakesnake - Man’a】

Type: Giant Monster, Neutral Evil

AC: 18 (Natural Armor)

Speed: 50 feet, Climb 40 feet

Strength — 23

Dexterity — 16

Constitution — 18

Intelligence — 7

Wisdom — 14

Charisma — 12

Skills Proficiencies: Perception +6, Stealth +7, Hunting +4

Senses: Darkvision 90 feet, Passive Perception 16

Damage Immunity: Lightning

Languages: Common, Draconic

Actions: Lightning Breath, Multiattack, Constriction, Bite, Swallow

Traits: Cave Predator, Enemy of Dragons

Challenge Rating: 11 (7,200 XP)

Evaluation: “The Bluefoot Drakesnake slithers across ground and walls, hunting its prey. Its lightning breath can incinerate most creatures, and even stronger ones can be constricted and swallowed whole by the Drakesnake.”

“A formidable opponent.”

This was Cassius’s assessment of it.

The monster, or rather, the Bluefoot Drakesnake, realizing it was fully exposed, stopped hiding.

“A young dragon sorcerer?”

“How… peculiar.”

Those snake-like eyes stared directly at the red dragon, not only with the anger of an ambush but also with a deep-seated hatred from its very bloodline.

In ancient, long-forgotten times, giants and dragons waged near-endless wars.

It is said that the Storm Giants created the first Bluefoot Drakesnake as a weapon against dragons.

Thus, Bluefoot Drakesnakes retain a natural hatred for dragons, with inherited methods to combat them.

Seeing its enemy severely wounded, the red dragon decided to pursue it relentlessly.

“Scorching Ray!”

Several fiery beams shot from the red dragon’s mouth.

Though injured, the Bluefoot Drakesnake swiftly climbed with its twelve legs, its massive body moving nimbly along the rock walls.

With sheer speed, it dodged two of the consecutive flame beams.

But it was hit by the third, the scorching ray splitting its flesh and making it howl in pain.

Enraged, the Bluefoot Drakesnake raised its head, and dazzling lightning gathered in its mouth.

“Lightning Breath!”

In an instant, bolts of lightning spewed from its mouth.

Each bolt was as thick as a bowl, capable of incinerating most creatures in an instant, far more powerful than the red dragon’s level-one spell, Magic Missile.

Knowing he couldn’t fully evade the lightning breath, Cassius leaped to the side, relying on his metamagic expertise to cast spells instantly.

“Quickened Shield!”

An invisible shield appeared in front of the red dragon, blocking part of the lightning.

But soon, the invisible shield shattered under the onslaught of lightning, and several bolts struck the red dragon directly.

Cassius felt a strong electric current conducted through his scales, penetrating his skin and flowing through his body.

Pain shot through his body, muscles spasmed, and several scales were scorched black.

Thankfully, the red dragon’s natural resilience allowed him to withstand it. A human might have sustained internal injuries or even been burned to a crisp.

“Such a terrifying breath—taking it fully would’ve caused serious injuries.”

Feeling the lingering pain and slight muscle twitching, Cassius licked his lips.

There was a faint excitement in his tone.

“It’s been a while since I felt the taste of injury.”

Since arriving in this world, apart from the initial desperate escape, he had rarely encountered an evenly matched opponent; after all, a red dragon’s starting point exceeded the endpoint of most creatures.

This was the first opponent in a long time that truly excited him—an exceedingly rare occurrence.